Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Rajshahi

For one person, living is cheaper in Rajshahi: $320 a month against $1,278 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Rajshahi
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Rajshahi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,278

/mo nomad

Rajshahi

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$320

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Rajshahi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Rajshahi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,278 in Phuket versus $320 in Rajshahi.

Phuket $1,278
Rajshahi $320

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,216 in Phuket versus $505 in Rajshahi.

Phuket $2,216
Rajshahi $505

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,154 in Phuket versus $690 in Rajshahi.

Phuket $3,154
Rajshahi $690

Living in Phuket is roughly 299% more expensive than in Rajshahi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 6% lower, Rajshahi 76% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.47 ฿151

$0.78 ৳96.8

473.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.41 ฿1,093

$7.92 ৳985

309.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.81 ฿297

$2.84 ৳353

210.21%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.78 ৳594

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.24 ৳278

Cappuccino

$2.83 ฿95.4

$1.31 ৳163

116.03%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 ฿29.41

$0.30 ৳36.78

190.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.65

$0.17 ৳20.54

188.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 ฿86.3

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.68 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$0.74 ৳91.6

124.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿49.31

$0.63 ৳78.8

131.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$0.63 ৳78.2

138.10%

Eggs

$2.09 ฿70.5

$1.14 ৳142

83.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.07 ฿643

$9.02 ৳1,122

111.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿111

$3.22 ৳401

2.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 ฿368

$6.38 ৳793

71.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 ฿98.9

$2.67 ৳332

9.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿57.0

$0.92 ৳114

83.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 ฿75.8

$2.44 ৳304

-7.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 ฿70.0

$0.48 ৳59.9

333.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.51 ฿51.0

$0.25 ৳31.13

504.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.52

$0.52 ৳64.6

165.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.96

$0.33 ৳41.47

224.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.51

$0.28 ৳34.52

85.71%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$12.02 ৳1,495

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ৳196

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 ৳258

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.20 ฿142

$3.15 ৳391

33.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.79 ฿634

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿61.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.98

$0.08 ৳9.91

1712.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.7 ฿1,912

$12.34 ৳1,535

359.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.02 ฿102

$1.19 ৳148

153.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 ฿34.33

$0.31 ৳38.37

229.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.69 ฿125

$1.00 ৳124

269.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$1.13 ৳141

30.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.8K ฿903.4K

$29.3K ৳3.6M

-8.62%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿900.5K

$32.8K ৳4.1M

-18.54%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$96.4 ฿3,251

$46.64 ৳5,802

106.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.26 ฿380

$4.55 ৳566

147.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.85 ฿568

$11.03 ৳1,372

52.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 ฿2,268

$6.03 ৳751

1014.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.73 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.50 ฿253

$4.10 ৳510

82.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$476 ฿16.1K

$13.66 ৳1,699

3384.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K ฿380.0K

$686 ৳85.3K

1542.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.4 ฿2,104

$6.84 ৳851

811.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.41 ฿958

$14.95 ৳1,860

90.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.3 ฿3,181

$25.49 ৳3,171

269.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.8 ฿2,895

$21.38 ৳2,660

301.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$716 ฿24.2K

$73.0 ৳9,081

880.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$491 ฿16.6K

$44.86 ৳5,580

994.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,927 ฿65.0K

$134 ৳16.7K

1333.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,431 ฿48.3K

$97.0 ৳12.1K

1374.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,175 ฿140.9K

$483 ৳60.1K

764.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 ฿102.7K

$2,258 ৳280.9K

34.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$502 ฿16.9K

$213 ৳26.5K

135.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rajshahi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$491 38.4%

Rajshahi

$45 14% 90.9% $446

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$266 20.8%

Rajshahi

$121 37.6% 54.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$124 9.7%

Rajshahi

$62 19.4% 50% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rajshahi

$31 9.6% 74.7% $91

Eating Out

Phuket

$122 9.5%

Rajshahi

$32 10.1% 73.5% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$82 6.4%

Rajshahi

$14 4.4% 82.7% $68

Getting Around

Phuket

$71 5.5%

Rajshahi

$15 4.8% 78.2% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $716 in Phuket and $73 in Rajshahi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Phuket pays about 2.4 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $32 in Phuket vs $8 in Rajshahi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $266 vs $121 per month, with Rajshahi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇧🇩 Rajshahi

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

1 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

451,425

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 124 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.04 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.2 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Rajshahi 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Rajshahi

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Rajshahi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rajshahi is about 75% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Phuket is about 2.4 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $716 in Phuket versus $73 in Rajshahi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $476 in Phuket versus $13.66 in Rajshahi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 121% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $320 in Rajshahi versus $1,278 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Rajshahi but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Rajshahi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Rajshahi are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Rajshahi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.